Favorite Songs From Movies Top Ten: The Sidestep (#6)

Tweet

There are songs in movies that I can hear and it automatically plays the scene from the movie in my mind. Today’s song on my list of favorites is one of those songs. There are two “show-stealers” in the top ten, and this is one of them. #6: The Sidestep - Charles Durning I believe that Charles Durning is the first person to make my music countdowns who’s buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He landed at Normandy on June 6, 1944 with a few thousand of his closest friends. That was the first scene he stole. It wouldn’t be the last. Durning was a splendid actor. I first saw him in Dog Day Afternoon, where he played the cop keeping the bank robbery turned hostage situation from getting out of control. He was also in The Sting (which showed up earlier in the countdown thanks to Marvin Hamlisch) and To Be or Not to Be, the not-so-farcical remake that starred Mr. and Mrs. Mel Brooks. (Seriously, it’s about as straight-up a remake as you can get from Mel Brooks!) That earned Durning his second “Best Supporting Actor” nomination. This song earned him his first. He played the governor in The Best Little [Chicken Ranch] in Texas, giving almost an instructional performance for politicians as he speaks in double and triple-talk. Oh, and the dancing was real: Durning was a professional ballroom dancer in his younger days. Oh, did he steal the show with this number. The Sidestep Written by Carol Hall Recorded by Charles Durning From The Best Little Wh*rehouse in Texas, 1982 Cut a little swath: